Window dressing



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 S. H. TERREL WINDOW DRESSING Filed Oct. 7, 1932 Aug. 14, 1934.

INVENTOR, 526/ 774" m l,

M R "ATTORNEY 1 1934. s. H. TERREL 1,970,256

WINDOW DRESSING Filed Oct. 7, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Ste 712a): f

B ma.

' ATTORNEY mm w Patented Aug. 14, 1934 UNITED STAT WINDOW DRESSING Application October 7,

4 Claims.

, state of tension, thus avoiding the tedium of tacking the paper in place in accordance with the previous practice, the likelihood of tearing it in the effort to stretch it, and the leaving of the tacks in place on removal of the paper or their removal one by one, and permitting the employment of very weak paper. My present invention contemplates certain improvements on this system of dressing which will be hereinafter pointed out.

Inthe drawings, r

Fig. 1 is an outside elevation, showing the'sheet of paper held stretched between two gripping media;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of what is shown in Figs. 3 "ands are views respectively the same as Figs. 1 and 2 but showing how the sheet, held by one such medium, is stretched and thereupon subjected to the gripping action of the other;

Fig. 5 is a cross-section of a modified form of the second medium;

' Figs. 6 and '7 show in front elevation and in section on line 7--'I,*Fig. 6 the sheet and a modified form of the first medium; and

Figs-8 and9 show-amodified form of the second medium when the sheet is to be gathered, Fig. 8 showing how the sheet is first stretched and Fig. 9 how the strip isheld in that condition; and

Figs. 10, 11 and 12 are a plan, a side elevation and a section on line 1212 of Fig. 10 of the second medium as shown in Figs. 8 and 9.

The sheet 1 to be stretched is assumed in the example to be crepe paper, butit may be any other flexible sheet material.

Referring, first, to Figs. 1 to 4.:

Supporting structure is afforded by a wall 2 (which may be the back wall of a show-window), the floor 20., and two spaced more or less'parallel strips 3 and 4 which maybe secured inplace by screws 5. Thesestrips are preferably of wood and may be as long as the wall is wide, so as to accommodate more than one sheet 1 or the placement of any sheet in any desired position lengthwise of them. g

The strip 3 hasa longitudinal elongated recess, here.-a groove, 6 opening toward one of its top 1932, Serial No. 636,693

and outer facespreferably its outer face, was to be readily accessible if the strip is placed close to the ceilingand the strip 4 has a rabbet' 7 at its under side forming in said structure a groove 8 opening also outwardly. Groove 6 in strip 3 is preferably pitched sothat its mouth is elevated, which insures its retaining what is to be received therein, as will appear, especially if the material so received includes morethan one of the bars 11 hereafter to be mentioned. The groove 8 in the other strip 4 may also be pitched, but with its mouth depressed, forthe same reason, as in Fig. 5, where 9 is the strip and 10 its groove.

The paper sheet, aswill appear, is held'in' the grooves by the use of fiat'bars '11 and 12, which for the sake of 'cheapness may be of cardboard, and as so .held it is under tension, usually stretched so that there is more or less straighten ing-out of the corrugations therein which, give the sheet its crepe effect. The holdas to-the bar 11. is due to the following: The sheet is shown wrapped in one lap around the bar, leaving both end portions depending, but sothat the extremity of one such portion is near the'lap or fold around the bar and is at the inside (Figs. 2 and 4). As an incident of the tension on the sheet it is grippedbetween the bar'and the upper and lower surfaces of the groove. The other end portion ofthe sheet is wrapped around the bar 12. As an incident of the tension the sheet is gripped between the bar and the upper and lower sur-. faces of the groove, much the sameas withrespect to the bar 11 and groove 6. I

In order to assemble the sheet and bars'with the supporting structure the bar 11 with the sheet aroundthe same is first entered into groove 6 of strip 3. The other end of the sheet is then wrapped tightly around bar 12 and the wrapped mass" is pulledupon to tension the sheet and finally this bar, which has ultimately beenmade to lie in ahorizontalplane, is entered to the groove 8 (or it). (It is found that the grip existing at thestrips is so effective that. the sheet would in fact be rent apart before material slippage would occur where such grip is active.)

' Since the bars are of considerable length and so more or less limber (especially if of cardboard) it is found that'the bar 12, alone, cannot be dependedon tostiffen the wound massin'setting the tension. Wherefore, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, I use an auxiliary or dummy bar-13',.this being of some considerably stiffer material--as metal; if thebar 12 isof cardboard-sand preferablysomewhatlonger thanabar l2so as toafford es PATENT or ies hand-grips at its ends. Having wrapped the sheet around bar 12 the dummy bar is placed in the fold of the sheet between the wrapped mass and the sheet and, while holding the dummy bar at its ends and also holding the wrapped mass from unwrapping, the dummy bar is pulled upon to tension the sheet until the wrapped mass is opposite the groove 8 (or 1.0) whereupon, having allowed such mass to turn to horizontal position (where it will be stopped by the floor or the bottom of the groove 10), it is slipped into the groove and the dummy bar withdrawn. The bars 11 and 12 form retained parts of the installation described, whereas the dummy bar is in fact a tool of the window dresser who goes from place to place to change the dressings of different customers from time to time.

Referring, now, to Figs. 6 and 7:

In this case the gripping medium aiforded in the already described construction by the strip 3 is here aiforded by the coaction of the wall 2 and a metal strip 14 which is removably supported opposite such wall by screws 15. This strip 14 is of channeled material, with its channel outward, channeled material being preferred for strength. At each end a slot 16 is formed entering from one side of the strip through one flange thereof, such flange at the end being flattened, as at 16a. These slots receive the screws 15 when the strip is supported. The strip may be secured any distance from the wallaccording to the extent the screws are driven inso as to afford what is in effect an. elongated recess 1'7 adapted to receive one or more of the bars 11 already described. The sheet 1 is lapped around this strip the same as it is lapped around strip 11.

(1 term the parts in Figs. 1 to t and 6 and 7 active to grip the first-named, or here upper, end of the sheet the primary gripping medium, and the parts in Figs. 1 to 4 active in gripping its other, or here lower, end the secondary gripping medium.) i

It will be understood that the tensioned sheet need not necessarily lie in a vertical plane; whether it does so or lies in a more or less slanting plane depends on whether or not the secondary gripping medium is directly below the primary one. There may be also one or more sheets to' a dressing placed one behind. another but somewhat exposed thereby in some way, these to be engaged by a plurality of each of the bars 11 and 12 received in their respective grooves. Further, any sheet may be transversely gathered at one or both ends, but as to this latter I prefer the following. 7

Referring to Figs. 8 to 12:

Here a clip 18 is shown consisting of a plate of metal having a body portion 18a and the remaining portion 18b bent up into a plane parallel with that of portion 18a and cross-sectionally arched, its side edges having teeth 18c and its free end 1801 being upturned. The body portion is forked, by a slot 18c extendingto its free end. Two screws 19 are secured to the floor, so that the line joining them may be either parallel or in some angular relation to the line of grip of the primary gripping medium. The operator uses this device much as the bar 12 is used-to tension the sheet. That is, having gathered the sheet, as shown in Fig. 8, and lapped its gathered portion around the portion 18b of the clip he uses the clip, which is in effect a short bar, to tension the sheet while holding the gathered portion lapped around the same, stretching the sheet until he can cause the forked portion of the clip to straddle the screws under their heads. The grip is maintained in this case by the sharp tangs or teeth 180 of the clip (desirably bent downward, Fig. 12, for this purpose) and also by the gathered portion being jammed between the clip and the floor. Instead of attaching the clip to the screws it may have its slotted end engaged in the groove of a strip 3, 4 or 9.

One essential of my invention is indicated in the appended claims as being concerned with these conditions, to wit: that the structure to be dressed should have a groove (as 6 or 17, on the one hand, or 8 or 10 on the other) receiving a bar (as 11 on the one hand or 12 on the other) having greater transverse dimension than the recess is wide, whereby effort to tilt the bar around a longitudinal axis thereof will be obstructed by the sides of the recess, and that there is means to secure a sheet of flexible material wrapped around the bar to said structure removed from and relatively lateral of the bar and coacting with the latter to hold the sheet in a state of tension between them, the sheet being interposed between the bar and at least one side of the groove, whereby a grip on the sheet auxiliary to such grip as it may attain on and due to its being Wrapped around the bar results in the effort of the bar to tilt in response to the tension.

Moreover, it is new, so far as I am aware, to effect the dressing or" a given structure, as that stated by fastening a portion of a sheet of flexible material to said structure, wrapping another portion of the sheet around a bar (as 12 or 18) and so that the wrapped portion grips the bar. then tensioning the sheet between the bar and where the sheet is fastened, and then fastening the bar against rotation on a longitudinal. axis thereof to said structure while the sheet is so tensioned, as in the groove 8 or 10 or by the screws 19. I

When the paper is tacked according to the usual system, if it is skewed one way or the other (particularly if gathered) the window dresser has no alternative but to remove the tacks and retack the paper in corrected position, with not only loss of time but the danger of tearing the paper; according to my invention the correction can be eflected by a sliding movement along either groove.

Sometimes the paper slackens after it is for some timein position. My construction obviously makes it possible to take up such slack very readily.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim is: V 1. The hereindescribed method of dressing agiven structure having a recess therein which consists in fastening a portion of a sheetof flexible material to said structure, wrapping another portion of thesheet around a bar having onetransverse dimension exceeding the width of the recess and so that the wrapped portion of the sheet grips the bar, then introducing another bar between the wrapped mass formed by the first bar and wrapped portion of the sheet and the part of the sheet adjoining said mass, then drawing upon the second bar to tension the sheetbetween said mass and where the sheet is fastened to said structure-while holding the wrapped mass from unwrapping, and then introducing the first bar transversely of itself into said recess while still holding the second bar. e V

2. In combination, with supporting structure having an upright portion and an elongated recess in said portion, a bar removably arranged in said recess and having greater transverse dimension in the direction of the depth of the recess than the later is wide, whereby effort to tilt the bar around a longitudinal axis thereof will be obstructed by the sides of the recess, crepe paper wrapped around the bar and interposed between the bar and one side of the recess and arranged to be clamped between them when the bar is subjected to such tilting efiort, and means to secure the paper to said structure arranged remote Irom and relatively laterally of the bar and coacting with the latter to hold the paper in a state of tension.

3. In combination, with supporting structure having an upright portion and an elongated recess in said portion, a bar removably arranged in said recess and having greater transverse dimension in the direction of the depth of the recess than the later is wide, whereby effort to tilt the bar around a longitudinal axis thereof will be obstructed by the sides of the recess, crepe paper wrapped around the bar and having both ends extending from the recess and laterally therefrom, and means remote from the recess and coactive with the bar to secure one end portion of the paper to said' structure and coacting with the bar to hold in a state of tension the part of the paper between such means and bar.

4. In combination, with supporting structure having an upright poition and spaced recesses in said portion, and bars arranged in the respective recesses and each having greater dimension in the direction of the depth of the recess containing it than the latter is wide, whereby effort to tilt each bar in the recess will be obstructed by the sides of the recess, and flexible sheet material wrapped around each bar within the recess containing such bar, said sheet material being in a state of tension between the bars and being thereby clamped between the bars and the sides of the respective recesses.

STEPHAN H. TERREL. 

